Danny Castellano Is My Wedding Date
by grelca
Summary: Mindy gets Danny to be her date at her cousin's wedding. Set in a timeline that breaks off at some point before The Desert (ie they did not make out on the back of a plane).
1. Prologue

Her first sensation upon waking was a rhythmic pounding just behind her forehead. It wasn't the worst hangover she'd ever woken up to, but she still silently cursed herself for drinking so much the night before. She didn't notice the arm draped over her torso until she tried to lift her hand to her head and found her own arm was trapped beneath it. That's when she realized there was a hand on her breast. Her naked breast. _Oh, God_, she was naked and so was the man with his chest plastered to her back.

She tried to extricate herself from the embrace as gently as possible to avoid waking her bedmate. After carefully lifting his arm and placing it behind her, she rose from the bed and turned around to get a look at the man she'd, if the not-quite-unpleasant ache in her muscles was any indication, had sex with the night before. The automatic "Oh my God" that escaped her lips was apparently enough to begin to rouse him, because he reached out to the now empty spot on the bed she'd been in moments before.

His eyes fluttered as he muttered her name, "Min?"

Rather than answer him, she panicked. She ran into the bathroom adjoining her childhood bedroom and locked the door behind her. She slid down to the floor, her back against the cold paneling, until she was sitting with her head resting on her knees. Hangover nearly forgotten, she wracked her brain for any memory of the previous night.

There wasn't much she could remember after arriving at the bachelorette party. She knew the night had started out with copious amounts of tequila, which she could only assume had continued. No matter how she tried, she couldn't recall anything after the first few rounds of shots.

Through the door, she heard feet shuffling from the bed toward the bathroom. They stopped on the other side of the threshold, and there was more than a moment's hesitation before she heard a light knock on the door. "Mindy, are you okay?" The uncertainty in his voice almost made her want to cry, but she couldn't bring herself to respond. "Mindy, please talk to me."

_Oh, fuck_, she thought instead,_ did I really sleep with Danny Castellano last night?_


	2. Chapter 1

_Two days earlier_

"Did you really need to check a bag in addition to that monstrosity you call a carry-on?" Danny whisper-yelled into Mindy's ear, leaning in close so that she could hear him over the other noisy travelers waiting for their own luggage to come around the baggage claim carousel. In his peripheral vision he noticed Mindy's father frowning in their direction, so Danny casually slung an arm around her waist and flashed a quick smile toward her parents before continuing, "You do know that we're only going to be in Boston for the weekend, right?"

"Oh, Danny!" Mindy laughed a little too forcefully to be believable while turning to face him. "It's a _long_ weekend, Danny. Plus, it's a wedding, and I'm a bridesmaid! I'm actually pretty proud of myself for not needing _more_ bags, if I may say so." She punctuated her words with a kiss on his cheek and murmured in his ear, "They're totally buying it, right? You're pretty good at this fake boyfriend act, Castellano!"

She giggled too loudly again as she pulled away, but Danny just grinned at her and nodded.

When Mindy's suitcase finally came into view Danny sighed heavily, let go of her waist, and went to get her bag. He turned around and reached out his free hand to take Mindy's. "Are we all ready to go? I'm a pretty light packer, so I've just got this," he said, gesturing to the duffel over his shoulder.

As the two of them followed her parents out of the terminal to the parking garage, Danny leaned into Mindy again and lowered his voice. "What have you got in this thing, bricks? You are _so_ going to owe me for this when we get home, Mindy." He raised his voice as he addressed her parents. "Thank you again for picking us up, Mr. and Mrs. Lahiri. I hope it's not too much trouble, because we really could've rented a car and driven ourselves into Concord."

"Nonsense, Daniel, it's no trouble at all!" began Mrs. Lahiri. "To be honest, I was very impatient to meet you. When my only daughter told me that she was bringing home her new boyfriend for her cousin's wedding, I knew he must be something special. You are the first man that our Mindy has brought home since she moved to New York!"

Having been witness Mindy's proclivities for jumping into relationships and falling fast and hard many times, Danny was surprised by this information. He would have expected Mindy to push guys into meeting her parents way too soon, especially knowing how close Mindy was with her mother.

The small group made it to the car, and Danny loaded his and Mindy's bags into the trunk. He did not notice the look of loss on Mindy's face when he released her hand.

* * *

By the time they pulled into the Lahiris' driveway, Mindy had been asleep on Danny's shoulder for close to half an hour. She had grabbed his hand again in her sleep, and their hands were resting comfortably on the seat between them, fingers intertwined. Danny gently shook her awake as her parents got out of the car.

"Hey, Min, wake up."

Mindy groaned in complaint, but did not open her eyes.

"Mindy, if you get up and stop drooling on me-"

"Excuse me, Danny, I do _not_ drool."

"I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but this wet spot on my shirt right here says otherwise." He lifted his hand to point it out, only to realize that his fingers were still wrapped around hers. Drool forgotten, they both stared at their joined hands.

Danny cleared his throat. He was about to say something when the car door on Mindy's side swung open and they both quickly let go of the other's hand like they were teenagers getting caught doing something they shouldn't. "Are you kids ever going to get out of the car? I know you've both had a long morning, so why don't the two of you go upstairs and get some rest? I will unload your things and bring them up for you."

"Thanks, Daddy." Mindy yawned and got out of the car with her father's help. "Come on, Danny, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping."

They walked into the house and up the stairs. "I'll give you more of a tour this afternoon, but this," she gestured to a door on the right side of the hallway, "is my room, and _this_," she opened the door across the hall from her own, "is the guest room. The bathroom is right over-"

"Oh, Mindy, dear, no no no. Your grandparents are going to be in the guest room. You and Daniel are staying in your old bedroom."

"_Together_?" Mindy's voice cracked. "Really, Mom? You're not... worried about us sharing a bed?" She looked back at Danny. "My parents are just really old-fashioned when it comes to this type of thing."

Mrs. Lahiri smiled. "Oh, no, don't be silly, dear! I am under no disillusions that you and Daniel don't... spend the night together when you're in New York. It would be silly to separate you, especially because we are going to have a quite full house for the next few days!"

Mindy and Danny locked eyes as Mrs. Lahiri made her way back down the stairs and yelled something out the open front door to her husband.

Mindy broke the silence and closed the guest room door. "Well, I guess that means we're sharing." She walked back across the hall and opened the door to her childhood bedroom, gesturing to Danny that he could enter first. He stepped into the room and was momentarily taken aback. It was not how he'd expected it to look. The young Mindy Lahiri represented on these four walls was both familiar and foreign. Nineties boy band posters adorned the walls, but there were none of the pops of color that he was accustomed to at her apartment. The colorful decor was one of the many things that made Mindy's place so... Mindy.

"Well, as you can see, the bed's only a double, so it'll be a little bit of a squeeze, but-"

"Don't worry about it, Min. I'll just sleep on the floor." He removed the pillows from one side and started to take the blanket draped over the foot of the bed, but Mindy stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Danny, stop. I know this isn't going to be the most... comfortable arrangement for either of us, but if we're going to share my room, we both have to sleep in my bed. I guarantee you that when my mom comes to wake us up for dinner later, or tomorrow morning, or at some other point, she's just going to burst into the room. I'd really rather not have to explain you being on the floor. She'll think we had a fight and it'll just turn into this... this _thing_, and, Danny-"

"Okay, it's okay. Calm down, Mindy. The bed it is. I think we can both handle that for a few days, it's not like the world's going to end."

Danny tossed the pillows back on the bed, but neither of them made a move toward it. Mindy shifted from one foot to the other before clearing her throat and turning toward the adjoining bathroom. Looking back at him over her shoulder, she said, "Well, just make yourself comfortable. I'm gonna go, uh..." She gestured toward the bathroom, "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Once the door was securely closed behind her, Danny kicked off his shoes and smirked, shaking his head. He pulled his shirt over his head and considered leaving his slacks on, but decided to forego modesty for comfort and stripped down to his boxers before climbing under the covers. His back was to the bathroom when he heard her come back into the room and slip in beside him.

_Oh boy_, he thought as he felt the warmth from her proximity to his back,_ she's certainly right about one thing. This is going to be a long_ _weekend._


	3. Chapter 2

Just as Mindy predicted, Mrs. Lahiri did not wait for a response to her knock before entering the room later that afternoon. "Naptime is over, you two! Mindy, your father and I are leaving for dinner now, so I wanted to make sure I gave you and Daniel the keys to the other car before we left. You remember how to get to the club, don't you?" Mindy nodded, but made no move to get up from her spot in the bed.

"Now, tonight is nothing fancy, so don't wear anything too nice. It's just a get-together for all of the guests who are already in town to meet or catch up with each other. Very informal.

"Well, I'm going to leave the keys for you on the table next to the front door. We will see the two of you later!"

With that, Mindy's mother left, and they were alone. Mindy cleared her throat and looked at Danny. "Well, I don't know about you, but I definitely need a shower before we head to this party. I feel _so _gross from traveling all morning."

Danny ran a hand through his hair and nodded. "Yeah, a shower sounds like a good idea."

"Okay, well in that case, it'd probably be quicker if went at the same time-"

"What?" Danny's head snapped in her direction and she could have sworn she saw his eyes darken.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, that's not what I meant! _God_, Danny, don't be such a perv! I was _going _to say that you should use the guest bathroom while I shower in mine."

Danny could feel his face burning as he grunted an "oh" and moved from the bed to his overnight bag to get some clothes. Mindy took the opportunity to watch the muscles of his naked back. Once he was out of the room, she let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and turned toward her own bathroom.

They both took showers that were a significantly colder than normal.

* * *

By the time Mindy and Danny arrived at the country club, the party was in full swing. Family and friends of the bride- and groom-to-be were seated around the large dining room, the two sides mingling with ease.

Danny found himself wondering how his family would get along with Mindy's. His own large, boisterous Italian family mixing with her reserved relatives. Mindy would probably have her entire family convinced that his had mafia ties. He pictured them in a room together like this one before he had to remind himself this wasn't a real relationship. That wasn't going to happen.

"Why don't you find a place to sit and I'll go grab us a couple of drinks from the bar?" Mindy nodded, and he let go of her hand in search of alcohol.

Mindy lingered in the entryway for a moment, her eyes following his retreating form, before shifting her gaze to scan the crowd for her brother. When she caught his eye, he smiled and waved her over to where he was sitting.

He gathered her up in a tight hug. "Rishi! Oh my God, it's been way too long since I've seen you, baby brother!"

"Yeah, yeah, well you're the one who convinced me to go back to Cali. You could see me all the time if I hadn't left New York, Mindy!" Rishi's remarks earned him an amiable elbow in the ribs before they both sat down. "So, Mom told me that you brought your boyfriend here? Must be pretty serious, but you didn't even tell me you were dating anyone. I was surprised when she mentioned it. You usually go on and on about the guys you've known for, like, a week."

"Oh, well, Rishi, you can't tell anyone, but-"

"Don't tell anyone what?" Danny asked as he walked up from behind her with a beer in one hand and a sangria in the other. He handed her the sangria and flashed a quick grin in her direction when she looked up at him. He sat down, draping one arm over the back of her chair and extending the other to shake Rishi's hand. "Hey, man, remember me? I'm Danny, we met when you came with your sister to our office last year."

Rishi smirked and pointed a finger back and forth between the two of them. "Oh, okay, I see what's going on here."

"Rishi-" Mindy started.

"No, no, Mindy," he cut her off, "You were just embarrassed to tell me that you're dating someone you work with! You know, I can't say I'm too surprised, though. I thought I saw some sort of connection there."

"What? Rishi-"

"Aww, look at my big sister getting all flustered just because I saw there was something between her and her new boyfriend before she did." He chuckled.

Mindy sighed, and she gave up trying to tell him the truth. "Yeah, Rishi, I guess you got me. Danny and I were madly in love with each other all along but we just didn't know it."

Danny had started unconsciously moving his fingers up and down along the bare skin of Mindy's arm while she was talking to her brother, and it was suddenly too much, so she took a big sip of her drink and excused herself to the restroom.

It bothered Mindy that Rishi was so unfazed by the news of Danny being her boyfriend. Why did people keep saying things like that? First Josh, then Christina, and now her own brother? Sure, she was attracted to Danny. Who wasn't? She would never admit it to him, of course, but it would be useless to deny the attraction to herself.

She knew, however, that nothing would ever come of it. First of all, she was _not _Danny's type. Secondly, she didn't want to lose one of her best friends. _Sex only complicates things_, she reminded herself. She almost believed it, the few times it seemed as though Danny was even interested... almost. Not totally convinced, a tiny part of her always wondered.

* * *

A few hours and a more than a few drinks later, Mindy and Danny were talking and laughing with some distantly related aunt. They had fallen into an easy familiarity, touching casually as if to quietly remind one of the other's presence, her hand settling on his arm when he made her laugh, or his fingers resting on her knee while their companion told a story about life in India.

"The two of you just make the most lovely couple," the woman, whose name Danny could not remember, told them.

"Thank you," they replied simultaneously. All three of them laughed as Danny lifted Mindy's hand from the table and brought her fingers to his lips. He noticed Mindy's laughter falter when they made eye contact, and he released her hand.

"So, how did you meet?"

"We're actually both OB/GYNs in New York," Danny started. "We've worked at the same practice for a few years, but at first we couldn't stand each other."

"Oh, come on, Danny. That's not true and you know it. I was trying to be your friend from the beginning!"

He grinned at her. "Yeah, trying and _failing_. Miserably. You gave me Justin Bieber tickets for my birthday, Mindy."

"I was only trying to expand your musical horizons! And, you know, Danny, you eventually came around anyway."

"Eventually."

"Besides, you know you were _totally _into my hot bod all along."

Danny raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes at her. "Maybe." He turned his attention back to the woman across the table. "Anyway, as I was saying before this beautiful woman to my right so _rudely _interrupted," he joked, "at first we had a pretty antagonistic relationship. Little by little, though, she got me to open up and we ended up becoming really good friends. Maybe even best friends."

Mindy looked at him and asked, "Really, Danny? I'm your best friend?"

Not trusting his voice to stay steady, he simply nodded as she beamed up at him. He returned the smile, his stomach fluttering involuntarily. He suddenly couldn't resist the urge to touch her. He reached out to brush an errant lock from her face, and tucked it behind her ear.

The moment was broken when a dreamy sigh came from the other side of the table. "But how did you get together?"

Feeling emboldened by liquid courage, he decided the best story he could tell was the truth. Still, he swallowed a knot in his throat before continuing. "One night a few months ago, Mindy here lost her purse, including her keys and phone, so I let her stay the night at my place. She ended up helping me out of a jam I was in, and by the end of the night I just... I knew." Danny's gaze shifted back to Mindy's face, and his voice softened. "I knew that I wanted to be with her. I'd actually wanted it for a while but I didn't realize it until then."

Mindy was fighting back tears. She had to remind herself that this wasn't real. "Danny..."

He caressed her cheek for a moment before he leaned over to kiss her gently on the lips. The kiss was chaste, barely more than his lips applying a soft pressure to hers, and yet Danny felt like he was on top of the world. A soft sigh escaped his lips as her fingers lit on his own, stilling the hand at her cheek. After a few long seconds, Danny pulled away, smiling. He stroked her cheek once more with his thumb before moving their still joined hands to his lap, intertwining their fingers.

"Well, isn't that an enchanting story? I suppose you've been together ever since?"

Danny cleared his throat and tore his eyes from Mindy's to answer. "Um, yeah. Something like that."

* * *

"You know, Danny," Mindy said later that night when they were lying in bed, "that story was a good idea. Mostly factual, it'll make it easy to remember if anyone else asks. I can't _believe _we didn't think about coming up with a 'how we got together' story! It's a good thing you're such a talented storyteller, even on the spot like that." She sighed. "It's too bad, though."

Danny was suddenly hyper-aware of their proximity to each other in the small bed. Did she know he'd been telling the truth? He wanted her to say that he should have told her sooner.

He took a deep breath and asked, "What's too bad?"

"Oh, well, I mean it's a little silly, but... it's just... it would've been a really good _real _story, you know? Like, this super cute story you could tell your grandkids one day about how you fell in love with their grandmother. So... it's too bad."

He exhaled. "Yeah, Min, I guess you're right. It would've been a good story."


	4. Chapter 3

Coconut. The first thing Danny noticed when he began to stir was the scent of coconut. It was familiar. Comforting. He struggled to remember why before thinking, _Mindy_.

Mindy was apparently as much of a cuddler as he was. In the night, they had turned so they were facing one another. Now their bodies were flush against each other and their legs were tangled. His right hand rested on her left hip, fingers dangerously close to her ass. If he moved his hand just an inch... _Don't even go there, Castellano. It was one thing when you were both asleep, but now you're fully aware of what you're doing._

Instead, he just took another deep breath, relishing in the fact that he was able to wake up like this at all. He buried his nose further into her hair and closed his eyes, praying silently that he could have a few more minutes of this before she awoke, too.

He thought of the first time he'd held her like this, the night she'd been Chloe Silverado. Then, he'd been struck by how right it felt to have her in his arms, how she'd fit against him perfectly with her face in the crook of his neck. He couldn't help but feel that way again now, smiling to himself as he continued to breathe in the tropical scent of her shampoo.

It wasn't long before he felt Mindy's eyelids begin to flutter against his neck. He considered feigning sleep, wondering what she would do if she woke to find them in this position. But when she moved against him in her sleep and let out a little sound that was something between a purr and a moan, Danny knew he needed to get out of the bed, _now_.

He slid his hand from her hip to her knee, refusing to let himself acknowledge the intimacy of trailing his fingertips down the back of her thigh. He gently lifted her leg off of his own before slowly rolling away from her. Mindy didn't wake up, but she did make that sound again. _Fuck_, he thought, adjusting himself through his pajama pants. _I have got to get out of here_.

Danny quietly rose from the bed and walked to the bathroom. He glanced back toward Mindy's sleeping form and sighed before closing the door behind him. After turning on the shower and splashing some cold water from the sink onto his face, he stared at himself in the slowly fogging mirror.

"Get a grip, Castellano," he whispered to his reflection. "You were asleep. She was asleep. It doesn't mean anything." He sighed again and looked down toward the slight bulge in his pants. "So calm down, there, buddy. Nothing's gonna happen here."

When Danny reentered the bedroom after finishing his shower, Mindy was already gone.

* * *

The women of the bridal party were having a day at the spa together in preparation for the wedding the following day, and Mindy's cousin was taking the opportunity to grill her about Danny. "Mindy, I've got to be honest. I really thought you were going to call at the last minute to say you wouldn't be bringing a plus one after all. But, man, that boyfriend of yours is _hot_. How'd you manage to land him?"

Mindy narrowed her eyes for a moment before shaking her head and answering with a smirk, "You mean, how did _he_ land _me_, right? Because, let me assure you, Danny chased after me, not the other way around." She took a breath before launching into her most dramatic voice.

"Now don't get me wrong, ladies. Finding love in New York is _not_ easy. There I was dating guy after guy. I even got engaged to one of them. But none of them were really the guy for me. Little did I know, though, that my surly coworker Danny was, in fact, secretly _madly_ in love with me the whole time.

"He liked to pretend that he didn't really like me. But it was all an act. He was just _dying_ inside every time I went on another first date, wondering if he'd lost his chance for good because this would finally be the one that would stick.

"Anyway, a few months ago when I was between boyfriends, Danny had finally mustered up the courage to ask me out. Only, of course, Danny being Danny, he did a spectacularly bad job of it. He just asked me if I wanted to grab dinner after work as though it wasn't something we did without it being a date _all the time_.

"So, that night, he came over to my place and he was just a sweaty _mess_. Like, just trust me when I tell you that you don't even want to know how much this guy can sweat. So, I'm all, 'Hey, dude, what's with the profuse sweating?' and he just got all flustered about it, which was actually super adorable by the way.

"I started to think something was going on when we got to the restaurant and I noticed it was a nice place. And I mean a _nice_ place. And Danny and I never went anywhere that nice together. So it was out of the ordinary. He even did all the date things like taking my coat, and would you believe that I _still_ didn't actually pick up on the fact that this was supposed to be a date? I almost didn't even let him pay for my dinner, but he was so insistent that I just let it go.

"So the poor guy thinks that this is just the worst date he's ever been on _ever_, but for some reason he decided that it wasn't a loss yet. When we left dinner, he started walking in the opposite direction of my apartment and told me he had a surprise. That I should _trust him_. And then, I swear to God, he pulls out a blindfold from his coat pocket.

"Now it's not something I'd normally do, but Danny and I have been good friends for a pretty long time. I mean, don't get me wrong, I thought he was being _super_ weird, but I wasn't _really_ worried that he was going to murder me or anything. So I let him blindfold me and then he took my hand and started leading me through the city.

"The next thing I knew, we were going inside a building and I could tell we got into an elevator and were going up. Turns out, he'd taken me to the Empire State Building because he totally knows that it's only the _most_ romantic place on earth. So we got to the top and I still didn't actually know where we were and he led me outside and took off the blindfold and I was just hit with the most gorgeous view of my favorite city.

"And that was when I noticed. Danny was still holding my hand. I mean, before that it had made sense. I was blindfolded. I couldn't see. I didn't know where we were going. But there we were on the observation deck of my favorite building and all I could do was think about the fact that Danny, _my friend_ Danny Castellano, was holding my hand.

"Then I looked at him and he just had this... the _goofiest_ smile on his face. That's when it finally hit me that we were on a date. It was actually a really perfect first date, even if I didn't know it was one for most of it. So yeah. We kissed and then we went back to his place and I've been having the _best_ sex of my life ever since!

"The Empire State Building is kind of our place now. He even took me back there when he proposed."

"Wait. You're engaged?!"

_Oh, crap._


	5. Chapter 4

_Shit, shit, shit. Way to let yourself get carried away with your little Danny-romcom fantasy there, Mindy. Okay, calm down. You can save this. Just-_

"Mindy?"

Hearing her name pulled her from her thoughts, and Mindy stuttered a reply. "Yeah! I mean, uh, we just weren't saying anything right now, because... because it's your weekend, you know? Uh. Couldn't... I just didn't want to steal your spotlight!"

Her cousin narrowed her eyes, then seemed to accept the excuse with a smile. "Well, that _is_ true. That was actually pretty thoughtful of you, Mindy. I mean, _finally_ getting engaged at your age? That is certainly sure to get the family's attention." Her smile turned wry as she continued, "Oh, but wait. Are you sure you didn't just want to avoid the embarrassment in case this one turns out like the last time?"

Mindy's nostrils flared at the mention of her failed engagement. She grit her teeth and hissed out, "No. No, I'm not, because Danny is _nothing_ like Casey. Danny is my best friend, and he's never made me feel like one day he might get tired of me. He respects me. He makes me want to be a better person. He _does_ make me a better person.

"And you know what? Maybe I did let things get too far with Casey before I realized that we weren't good for each other. But just because I had the _audacity_ to get out of a bad relationship, that doesn't mean all of my future ones are doomed."

The bride-to-be started to respond, but Mindy cut her off. "No. Can we please just have a nice weekend without making more snide comments about my love life?"

Mindy's cousin simply nodded and turned her attention to one of the other bridesmaids, leaving Mindy to her thoughts.

* * *

As soon as the group of women walked into the bachelorette party, the alcohol began flowing. The club had been rented out for the evening, and Mindy's aunt and uncle had paid extra to provide an open bar.

Mindy planned on taking full advantage of the free alcohol, and started the night with a couple of shots of Patron. She sat at the bar, sipping a colorful cocktail and watching some of the other members of the bridal shower on the dance floor. She thought to herself that she should join them, let loose and have some fun. But first she needed more booze.

She turned to order another round of tequila from the bartender and impressed a 23-year-old with her ability to drink the liquor without any help from salt or lime. "Wow, Mindy, I wish I could- Hey! Isn't that your fiancé?" the younger woman yelled over the music, pointing in the direction of the door.

Mindy turned around to see Danny walking toward them. "Danny! What on earth are you doing here? Guys can't come to a bachelorette party! Wait. You're not the, uh... _entertainment_, are you? Oh God, Danny, can you imagine? That would be _so_ embarrassing! But, no, why are you here?"

Danny smirked at her and pulled something out of his shirt pocket. "You gave me your phone to hold on to at the rehearsal dinner, remember? I thought you might want it back." He held it in his outstretched hand, apparently expecting her to take it from him, but she just stared at him.

The next thing she knew, her arms were around his neck and his were around her waist and her phone was falling to the floor as she pressed her lips to his. He moaned against her mouth when she scraped her fingernails on his scalp, but he pulled back when she started to nibble on his bottom lip.

"Mindy, you're drunk. I can't-" He sighed before leaning down to pick up her phone from the floor. "Look, Rishi invited me to the bachelor party, so I'm not sure if I'll be at the house when you get back later. Call me if you need me for anything. Have a good time." He smiled softly at her and kissed her on the cheek before placing her phone in her hand and leaving.

* * *

When Mindy walked into her childhood bedroom, she was disappointed to find it empty. She sat on the bed and pouted just a bit, wondering if Danny would make it back to the house before she fell asleep. They'd barely seen each other all day, and in her drunken state she could admit to herself that she missed him.

Not wanting to linger on her thoughts about Danny's absence, she walked to the dresser in the corner of the room to grab some pajamas. She unzipped her dress and it had just hit the floor when the bathroom door opened and Danny walked into the room, barefoot and shirtless.

She was staring at his chest. He had to know that, right? She hadn't met his gaze yet since he'd come out of the bathroom, because she'd been too distracted by those damn perfect pectorals.

But when she finally looked up to his face, she thought maybe he didn't know she'd been ogling him. Not that he would have any right to care if he did, because his eyes were roving her own body. On another night, she might have been embarrassed, but tonight she had had enough tequila to make her daring.

Walking toward him, she finally spoke. "Hey." Her voice was throaty, something neither of them expected, and he finally met her gaze. She could see in his eyes that he'd been drinking, too, and she could taste scotch mingled with toothpaste when she kissed him for the second time that night.

He gently pushed her shoulders, holding her at arm's length. "Mindy?" He sounded almost desperate. "What was that for?"

"Fuck, Danny, I don't know. You're my boyfriend for the weekend, right? Do I really need a reason?"

Deep down, she knew that her drunk logic didn't make any real sense. But Danny... he was actually considering her words. Considering them with the scrutiny that only the truly wasted could really achieve. The corners of his lips lifted incrementally, and he whispered, "Your boyfriend." His smile grew when he moved one hand to her face and the other to her hip. "Yeah." And his lips crashed onto hers.


	6. Chapter 5

Danny called her name once more, and when she still didn't answer he turned his back to it and slid down his own side of the door. Leaning his head back to rest on the wood behind him, he sighed in defeat. _Of course she doesn't want to talk to you. She was drunk last night. This isn't something she wanted._

While the pair sat in silence on opposite sides of the doorway, Danny's imagination ran wild, considering only the worst possible outcomes. Their friendship would be ruined, of course. What if they weren't able to work together anymore? What if she left the practice? He didn't think he could deal with losing Mindy as a friend, much less losing her presence in his life entirely.

As the worsening scenarios continued to build in his head, Danny heard a small sound come from the bathroom. "Mindy?"

He heard it again, louder this time. A sob. _Damn it,_ he thought, _she's crying._

His hand instinctively moved to the doorknob, but he found it was locked. "Mindy, please let me in. Please. Please talk to me." He was pleading with her now, on the verge of tears himself when suddenly, the knob turned in his hand and the door was open and he had her in his arms.

Mindy let herself be dragged into Danny's lap, gripping his shoulders, burying her face in his chest, his skin muffling the sobs that racked her body. Not completely sure how to console her, Danny rubbed her bare back with one hand and tangled the other in her hair, whispering words he hoped were comforting to the top of her head.

* * *

They stayed that way for a few minutes before Mindy finally began to calm down. Sniffling, she pulled back to look at him, and he framed her face with his hands.

"Mindy, God, I'm sorry. I'm _so_ sorry, I never wanted to... Look, last night was... we both had too much to drink... we can just pretend it never happened if that's what you want. The last thing I want is to ruin our friendship. You're so-"

"What?" She cut him off, letting out of a sharp laugh. "Danny, no. No, that's not what I want." She smiled at him as her hand moved to his forehead to brush back a stray piece of hair. The small grin on his face was adorable, cautiously optimistic.

"Really?" She nodded, biting her lip. "What do you want, Mindy?"

She pressed her lips to his in a chaste kiss. When she broke it, she held both sides of his face and rested her forehead against his. "You, you dummy." She smiled again when his face lit up.

"I mean, yeah, maybe when I first woke up I was scared about what this means for us, but... Honestly, Danny, this is something that I've wanted for a really long time without _letting_ myself want it. When I ran in here, I was freaking out. But now I'm not."

Danny chuckled and wiped a tear from Mindy's cheek. "You know, you could have lead with that, Min, instead of all the crying."

"God, no, Danny, I wasn't... I... Ugh! This is going to sound _so_ completely lame, but... I don't actually remember what happened last night. That's why I was so upset. I mean, I _finally_ get some action from Danny Castellano and I'm too wasted to even remember it? God, I can't even-"

He cut her off with another kiss, far less chaste than the previous one had been. Her arms looped around his neck and she hummed a little moan as one of Danny's hands moved down her body from her cheek to her hip before they were interrupted by a knock on the bedroom door.

"Mindy? We've got to leave in ten minutes if we're going to make it to the salon on time for the appointment! Your cousin will not appreciate anyone being late."

"Uh, yeah, I'll be ready in just a few minutes, Mom!" Mindy giggled, Danny was kissing his way down her neck and she pushed him away. She sighed, "Sorry, buddy, that's enough of that for now."

Leaning back in to press his lips to the swell of her breast, Danny spoke against her skin, "Mmm, but she said you have ten minutes. I can do ten minutes."

"You are so lame!" Laughing, she pulled out of his grip and stood up. "Oh, God," she started, looking down. "I can't believe we've had this entire conversation naked. Is this really the story we're going to tell our grandchildren?"

Danny grinned and started to follow her into the bedroom, but Mindy put a hand on his chest to hold him away. "Nuh uh, Castellano, you are far too distracting, so you are just gonna have to stay in there until I am dressed and gone."

She raised up on her tip toes to give him one more quick kiss before pushing him back into the bathroom and shutting the door between them.


	7. Chapter 6

From the moment Mindy had entered the room, Danny hadn't been able to stop watching her. She was radiant in her long red dress, and when their eyes had briefly met as she passed him approaching the altar, he silently swore to himself he'd spend the rest of his life keeping her smiling like that.

For a fleeting moment he realized it was probably too soon to be thinking about forever, but he also knew theirs wasn't like any relationship he'd been in before. Somewhere along the way he'd fallen in love with his best friend, and like he'd said to her aunt their first night in Boston, he really did just know.

He sat next to Rishi during the ceremony, and toward the end, out of the corner of his eye, noticed that Rishi kept glancing at him. Danny turned to face the younger man, narrowing his eyes in a silent question, but Rishi just shook his head and grinned.

When it was over and the guests began filtering out of their seats to make their way to the reception, Rishi pulled Danny aside. "You know, I was planning on having a talk with you. Tell you that if you hurt my big sister I'd have to kill you. But something's different today. I've seen the way you've been looking at her all day. You don't need that talk after all, do you?"

The two men shared a smile, and Danny patted Rishi on the back. "Nope. Trust me, you don't need to worry about me, man." He looked over Rishi's shoulder to where Mindy was approaching them, and met her halfway with a kiss on the cheek.

She beamed up at him, and he thought he'd never seen anyone look so beautiful. "I've just got to go do these wedding party photos, then I'll meet you at the reception, okay?"

He whispered his assent against her mouth when she put her arms around his neck to give him a peck on the lips. He wasn't even aware of the broad smile he wore as he watched her walk away until the muscles of his face began to protest several minutes later.

* * *

Danny was already in bed when Mindy entered the room after her shower, wearing only a towel. She smirked when he looked up from his book and saw her, his eyes widening in surprise. She walked to his side of the bed and sat down next to him, plucking the book from his hands and dropping it on the nightstand. He sat up in the bed, reaching out to hold her face and he kissed across her jaw and down her neck, settling in the space where her neck met her shoulder.

Mindy moaned his name before softly pushing him away and looking into his unfocused eyes. "Danny, what are we doing?"

It was Danny's turn to smirk. "I thought that was obvious, Min." She sighed when he leaned back into her, reattaching his mouth to her neck.

Pulling from a source of willpower she didn't even realize she had, she pushed him back again with a groan. "Come on, Danny, I think we really need to talk."

"If you wanted to talk, why would you come in here wearing _this_?" He fingered the edge of the towel at her chest, grazing the swell of one of her breasts. She gasped at the contact, and raked her nails across his scalp as she pulled his lips back to hers.

"Oh my _god_, Danny, what are you doing to me? No... No, we do need to talk. Seriously. No more of this until we do." Not fully trusting either of them in such close proximity, she stood from her spot on the bed to walk a few feet away. She released a heavy exhale and looked down at her toes digging into the plush carpet. She met his eyes again and asked him quietly, "What is this, Danny?"

"I don't know, Mindy." She closed her eyes at his words, readying herself for the worst. She didn't expect him to follow her from the bed and take hold of her hands, and when he did she glanced back up at him through her eyelashes. Raising both her hands to his mouth, he placed a gentle kiss on the backs of her fingers. "I can't claim to know exactly what we've started here this weekend. But I know that whatever it is, I want it."

A hesitant smile graced Mindy's lips. "Really?" He nodded, his signature lopsided grin on his face, and her own smile grew when she whispered, "Me, too."

He angled his head down to kiss her again, and this time she didn't pull away. He walked backwards toward the bed, turning them around to lower her onto the mattress when she started giggling. "What is it now?" He wanted to be annoyed, but she was beautiful with her hair splayed across the pillows. Her laughter was infectious, and he couldn't help chuckling a bit, too.

"Nothing, I just... I'm happy." She smiled brightly up at him and caressed his cheek with her hand. "You make me happy, Danny."

"So tell me... How much _did_ you drink tonight?" His lips returned to their earlier task, kissing down her collarbone.

"Not that much. What, I have to be drunk to say you make me happy?"

Danny pulled back, smirking at her again. "No. I just want to make sure you're going to remember this in the morning."

Mindy pushed him onto his back and threw one leg over his hips, straddling him. She pulled off the towel and threw it across the room before leaning down to brush her lips against his and whisper, "Oh, don't you worry, Castellano. I wouldn't forget this for the world."

* * *

**One year later**

The Castellano family reunion is just how Mindy expected a large gathering of Italian-Americans to be. Most of the women are loud and overbearing, corralling children who seem to be constantly underfoot. And she's positive that at least half of these people have mob connections. Or maybe they're actually _in_ the mob, who knows?

It's the first time she's met any of Danny's relatives outside of his immediate family, and she'd be lying if she said she hadn't been a little anxious. But she has yet to speak to a single person who hasn't noticed the diamond on her finger and given her an early welcome to their family.

The way Danny's watching her right now makes her want to ditch the reunion and demand he take her back to their hotel room _right this instant_, but she's still too concerned with making a good impression for that, so she just shoots him a look with narrowed eyes and a shake of her head instead. He smiles. She smiles, too.

There's music playing, but no one is dancing, so she's surprised when he stands and offers her his hand in invitation. She hears a chorus of "aww"s coming from somewhere behind her when she takes his hand and he pulls her against his chest. She nestles her head in the space between his neck and shoulder and closes her eyes while she inhales his scent.

"You're a hit, you know," Danny murmurs into her hair. "I know you were nervous, but everyone loves you already."

She smiles against his collar before shifting slightly to kiss his neck right above it. He sighs, and she pulls back just enough to meet his eyes. "Me nervous? Never. Of course they love me. I'm awesome. You Castellanos should consider yourselves lucky that I agreed to become one of you." She laughs, but he knows her too well. He can hear the lingering insecurity in her voice.

Danny grins, stroking her cheek and leaning down to kiss her lips. He rests his forehead against hers and he's serious when he reassures her, "Yeah. We're very lucky."


End file.
